Once Upon a Forest
by AmberyAmber
Summary: She's gone mad, trapped in the rifts of her mind. She wants to get out. She wants her mind to be clear. And most of all, she wants to see her mate and kits again.
1. Once Upon a Forest

**~*~*~Author's Note~*~*~**

_This is for LawlClan's Monthly Writing Challenge. The prompt was "Fairytale"._

_A note from Reada the Cellist (her link can be found on my profile): I wrote this with my loving Ambymommy._

_A note from myself: I wrote it with my adolescent Readachlid._

_So yes, we co-wrote this within about four days. :D Hope you enjoy~_

_*Please note this has been modified so everything isn't clumped into one massive chapter_

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**Once Upon a Forest**

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Each paw step was carefully and precisely placed just where she wanted. The soft green moss that blanketed the floor tickled at her paw pads, causing her tail-tip to twitch as she prowled foreword. She weaved around the strip of sunlight that flittered in through the small gap between the thorny brambles. Pausing, her bright green eyes scanned her surroundings. She lashed her tail.

"I'm going to find you, you squirrel!" she declared.

A tiny squeal of excitement gave away the creature's position, and her ears angled towards the noise. She sunk into a crouch. A small pink nose poked out from under the moss, as well as two tiny, rounded ears and a bushy tail that stood straight up in the air. Confident that her prey was within her reach, the she-cat shifted her weight onto her haunches, and then lunged. She overshot it a bit, her ears clipping the den's low ceiling as she sprang into the air and landed a mouse-length behind her prey.

"You can't catch me, Fairykit!" squealed the small bundle of fur, darting out from underneath the moss pile.

Due to her larger size, Fairykit easily caught up with a couple of steps and wapped her paw down on the small creature as if she was swatting down a fly out of the air, and she received a shriek in return. Fairykit glanced towards at the much smaller she-kit trapped underneath her paw.

"Ow! Get off!" she wailed.

The cry startled Fairykit and she stumbled backwards in alarm, accidentally toppling over another kit, who dozed in the back of the nursery under the shadow of a bracken leaf. He jumped a tail-length in the air with a hiss, fur bristling. "Sorry Nightkit!" Fairykit mewed, eyes wide as she glanced between the two upset kits, "I didn't mean to hurt you either, Graykit!"

"Just watch it next time," Nightkit growled.

Fairykit gave her den-mates a glance over. They looked like her litter-mates, but they were somewhat smaller and appearing very plump under their fluffy fur. Unlike them, her siblings, named Dragonkit and Elfkit, owned a pelt matted with ribs peeking out from underneath.

A somewhat stifled sigh came from the front of the nursery, followed by a much louder and stern meow, "Why don't you go visit Flamestep and Redfrost. I'm sure they'd love it if you'd visit."

Fairykit's green eyes trailed to her pale golden paws. "Oh, okay," she mumbled, tail drooping.

The she-cat scampered out of the nursery, exiting the sweet-smelling den and into the camp, where warriors and apprentices shuffled around the clearing, doing their daily chores and tasks. Watching them, she trotted to the elders den sheltered by a massive fallen log. She recalled a story from her mother about why the tree was like that. It was before they all got sick, when they were all allowed to curl up next to the she-cat's warm belly and snuggle into her messy, dark ginger fur. "Why is that tree sideways when all the others are standing up, Gingernose?" She had squeaked.

"It's tired and old, like Flamestep and Redfrost." she murmured, whiskers twitching as the three kits purred in amusement, "One day it got so tired, it couldn't stand up anymore. It didn't want to fall over, but it had to, for StarClan needed a place where the older cats who served their clan well could rest peacefully."

The memory perked the young she-kit up a little, and she raised her tail contently as she ducked under the tired and old log. Inside, two brightly colored ginger cats curled up next to each other snored softly.

Before she could even consider disturbing their rest, Redfrost's eyes flickered open. "Fairykit, what are you doing here?" she questioned with a flick of her ear, "Don't you have trouble to cause?"

"I already did," Fairykit ducked her head.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be forgiven. You're too sweet to stay mad at." Flamestep's gruff voice purred with his eyes still closed.

"Come on over here. Your fur needs so grooming." Redfrost commented.

"No, my fur is fine!" she protested, tumbling away from her kin's outstretched paw. "I think I'm going to go visit Gingernose and Dragonkit and Elfkit instead."

Flamestep's whiskers twitched, ignoring the names of his daughter and grandkits. "A kit isn't a kit without messy fur." he meowed.

Redfrost wrapped her ringed tail around her paws and snuggled a bit closer to Flamestep. "Ah, I suppose your right. Check with Snowfoot first, though."

Fairykit rubbed her head against Redfrost's shoulder and flicked her tail in farewell before dashing out of the den and back into camp, where she angled herself to the medicine cat's sheltered den. The bright morning sunlight quickly diminished under the thick shade of ferns, bracken and entangled branches. Slowly, she hobbled foreword untill a distinctive white pelt and a blue-gray one entered her vision. The white one, Snowfoot, was the medicine cat and she was just the cat Fairykit was looking for. The gray cat Snowfoot talked to was the deputy, Rainclaw.

"Can I see them?" She mewed, ducking her head as their conversation stopped and they gazed at her.

The medicine cat's nod was all it took for Fairykit to spring towards the section where her siblings and mother rested. "Mm, be quiet though." the medicine cat called softly after her before turning back to the cat next to her.

Instead of bounding all the way into the den, paused and listened to the soft voices. A heartbeat later, she poked her head around the corner. She could only hear a few words of the conversation, but the white medicine cat was doing a lot of head shaking.

"Is... contagious?" Rainclaw's tone shifted upwards, suggesting a question.

Snowfoot shook head as if to say no.

"... can't stop the inevitable."

Snowfoot shrugged.

"Do the kits...?"

The medicine cat nodded and meowed something that Fairykit couldn't pick up.

Fairykit's fur began to itch to see Gingernose, so she gave up listening in on the conversation and silently padded towards the three bodies curled up in a large nest made of soft feathers a moss. Long and raspy breaths broke through the silence in the den. Silently, she wandered foreword.

She sniffed Dragonkit's ruffled golden fur dappled with darker golden markings, and a musty, sickening smell caused the she-cat to recoil. Fairykit whimpered softly and took a step towards sister, who looked like a newborn kit with an unkept pelt with patches of her dark ginger fur were missing, revealing pink skin underneath. Elfkit blended in quite well with Gingernose, as they shared the same coat color.

"I wish you three were better," she murmured, curling up between her two siblings and pressing her flank against her mother's belly, "I want to play with you and not worry about hurting you like with Nightkit and Graykit. I-I want to hear more stories from you, like the tired elder tree." her shaky voice was a barely a whisper as she squeezed her eyes shut and slowly drifted to sleep.

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**_~*~*~Life isn't a fairy tale, you don't always have happy endings, but you can make the best of what you do have and accept it for what it is, and just keep living, that's all you can do.~*~*~_**

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Everything was a cloud; a big, menacing cloud forest. Nothing made sense, nothing had a purpose or reason, and the worst part was that Gingernose couldn't wake up. Mist lingered in from the towering treetops all the way down to where the bushes and ferns made their home nestled in the rocky earth. The endless fog left her sight limited and her lungs filled with a musty smell, preventing her from discovering any prey.

The savory scent of fresh prey mixed in with the fog from time and time, but never any to find. The endless chattering of squirrels and the blissful melodies of songbirds swirled in the air, causing Gingernose to long for even just a glimpse at these animals.

Gingernose's head spun in a violent circle. Nothing stayed in the same place for more than a heartbeat. All she could do was lie down on the hard, cold ground and fall into a restless sleep with her stomach begging for a meal.

Gingernose woke early in the morning to find a generously sized bird with brilliantly colored feathers, its body still warm at her paws. She tore into the savory meat and glanced about the misty forest, questioning just where the fresh kill came from. After just the bones and feathers remained, the she-cat got to her paws. With her strength returned to her and a stiller stomach to think on, she decided to look around. She barely noticed the tiny paw prints spotting the surface of the obscured ground.

"Is the cat that gave this bird to me still around? I would like to thank and share tongues with you." Gingernose called out.

An empty forest answered her with silence.

Her jaw tightened, and a heartbeat later she bounded deeper into the trees.

Everything seemed to move too quickly. One moment she leaped over a fallen log, and the next moment she splashed through a silvery river with stones peeking through the surface. Gingernose paused, allowing herself to comprehend her situation. "If you can hear me," she yowled at the top of her lungs, "Please come and meet me."

The ginger she-cat gasped as a giggling sound replied, like the kind two-legs made. A tiny shining- no glowing figure danced through the bog, perching on tree branches briefly before soaring back into the misty air. "Come and catch me," a voice cooed.

Without hesitating, Gingernose lunged into action. She darted up the tree where the creature purred and giggled, her claws scrambling to find proper nooks to dig into. As soon as we reached the branch, the figured gracefully hopped off and landed on one of the rocks in the river. Gingernose had got a better glimpse of it before it danced off. One moment she thought it was a two-leg, with pointed ears, and the next she was confident it was a cat. "I'm going to catch you!" the ginger she-cat declared, almost enjoying having a mysterious cat as company.

Twigs and leaves grabbed at her fur like claws and she maneuvered her way to the end of the branch to the point where it bent under her weight. She crouched down, and then sprang downwards towards the water. The glowing figure tumbled out of the way, venturing onto land and waiting for Gingernose to catch up.

Dark ginger fur soaked by the river's silver water, Gingernose clambered onto the rock and shook her pelt, briefly hesitating before jumping from the stone and across the water. She bounded forward, the creature giggling as she pursued. When Gingernose was just a tail-length away, it darted off again into the forest. Panting, she followed.

Like before, everything seemed to be going by too fast. She would be looking one way, and when she glanced to another direction she appeared to be in a seemingly in a different area. The only thing that repeated was the misty grounds with towering trees.

When Gingernose finally lost the scent and sight of the creature, she plopped down onto the hard ground, shaking and exhausted. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Aww, you're giving up already?" a voice complained, and Gingernose's eyes fluttered open.

In front of her was a healthy kitten, pelt starry and glowing. Gingernose's heart stopped as she recognized the creature's dappled, dark ginger fur and her green eyes. "Elfkit?" She gasped, springing to her paws.

"Well, I guess the fun's over." she sighed, taking a seat on the ground next to Gingernose, "I've come to tell you that it's time to leave the Misty Forest and join the ranks of StarClan. Please, come with me."

Gingernose's bright green eyes widened even further, "No, no! I can't go to StarClan, not yet. I have kits to raise, a-a mate, and I have Flamestep, Redfrost and my sister!"

Elfkit sighed, studying her paws. "You'll only have one kit to worry about soon. Either way, please come with me. It'll be so much better. There will be plentiful prey, friendly cats and you can see the sky. I'll be there too." she mewed gently. "Please, Gingernose,"

Gingernose violently shook her head. "No, you're not dead. You're not Elfkit. You're lying. I'm getting out of here. I want to go back to ThunderClan!" She wailed, whipping around and charging away from the creature.

"Wait! The only way to get out is-"

Gingernose didn't care about the speed at which she travelled, or the ominous mist masking the forest, or the bountiful amount of chirps and chattering of prey, yet a clear lack of animals. She didn't care about her trembling legs, or the rocks and pebbles digging into her paw pads. She just kept running, paw step after paw step. There had to be an exit from the 'Misty Forest'. Eventually, her legs became too shaky for her to dash through the undergrowth, causing her to collapse to the ground.

Gingernose gasped for air, staring blankly at the foggy air above. The grayness eventually faded to oblivion and the noises became muffled, the thoughts of escaping loitering in her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

A faint, gentle rustle mingled in the shadowed den, the soft noise rousing Fairykit to consciousness. She peeked her eyes open, thinking the medicine cat had wandered into the den to tell her to leave, her heart skipping a beat to realize Rosebreeze attempting to pry Gingernose's maw open and paw something into it. It clearly wasn't working since there a cold fire glimmered in her green eyes.

"Eat something, you fox-heart. Don't you want to?" She hissed before she noticed Fairykit was looking straight at her, her eyes wide with surprise at such a fowl word. "Fairykit?" She spat out the word like it was death berries, or something similar. "What are you doing here?"

"N-nothing. I was just spending some time with Gingernose and my litter mates." Fairykit managed to stutter. Her eyes fixated on Rosebreeze's fiery glare.

Trying to get Rosebreeze's mind off whatever caused that rage blazing in her eyes, Fairykit gently squeezed out from between her litter mates and padded up to her, sitting down near her paws. The fire in Rosebreeze's eyes ebbed a bit. She started to meow something but hesitated.

"Why don't we go outside? I would like to talk to you." she delicately touched Fairykit with her tail tip, as if Fairykit would fall apart at any moment.

After trotting outside, the two settled near a tree stump settled outside the nursery. Rosebreeze rubbed against it before sitting down and wrapping her ginger tail over her paws. Fairytail plopped down beside her.

"Rosebreeze, why is Gingernose so sick?" It had been on the tip of Fairykit's tongue for the longest time. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I-I've just been wondering for a long time now." She looked up at Rosebreeze, the distant look in her eyes now appearing like icy frost instead of a blazing fire.

"The medicine cat isn't sure. Some say she became mentally unstable a little before she had you. Others say it was some bad food. Even some others who have devoted their lives to the stone-hearted StarClan say it is because they are trying to send a sign." As Rosebreeze explained, Fairykit trembled from nose to tail-tip.

"What do you think it is, Rosebreeze?" Fairykit shrank back as soon as she realized what she asked.

"I-I think she was mentally unstable. She named you Fairykit, and your litter mates Dragonkit and Elfkit. I've never heard of those things. Have you?" Rosebreeze stifled a wail. "I think her problems started when she mated with your father, Lionwhisker. She fell head over tail for him and now she is nearly gone."

Fairykit, now regretting the topic she brought up, quickly changed the subject. She batted a small paw at the stump, glancing from it to Rosebreeze. "Why do some trees only have their base?" She mewed.

Surprise flickered in the ginger she-cat's eyes. "Ah, why don't you go ask Lionwhisker."

Eager to get away from her mother's sister, Fairykit nodded and darted off in search of the golden tabby. He chatted with Snowfoot, his green eyes dark. As soon as Fairykit came within a tail-length of the white she-cat and the golden tom, the two nodded farewell, Lionwhisker turning towards her and Snowfoot trotting back to her den. "Hey there," he purred, brushing his fluffy tail into Fairykit.

She purred back, batting his tail away and a heartbeat later pouncing on it. "I have a question!" the kit announced, gaze focused on the tail

"Congratulations," Lionwhisker replied in a deep rumble, sweeping his tail to the other side. "Care to share what it is?"

Fairykit squealed in amusement and delight, chasing the tail all away around her father. When she successfully trapped it beneath her paws, she gazed up at her father with inquisitive green eyes. "Why do some trees only have their base?" she mewed.

Lionwhisker's tail-tip twitched under his kit's grasp, causing Fairykit's eyes to dart back to his trapped tail. "See that used to be a towering oak tree, home to rich green leaves and winding branches. Creatures of the forest loved this tree, for it provided shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. Sometimes the creatures would forget that they were supposed to hunt and be hunted, and they would live in harmony together, even if just for a couple heartbeats." Lionwhisker sneaked his tail out from underneath Fairykit's tiny paws as she was sidetracked by the story, "But you see, that tree was never thanked or appreciated, and it grew sad. Eventually, it lost all of its leaves and its branches began to snap off. When creatures came to visit the next day, they were shocked to find that the tree served them no purpose anymore. The tree grew sadder, older and tired. One day, a great storm with booming thunder, brilliant lightening and blasting winds. It felt no need to be anymore, so it allowed the wind to blow it over. However, its roots were planted firmly in the ground, and they refused to let go. It snapped at the base, leaving a log and a stump. That's why you should be appreciative to the plants and trees around you."

The story played out in the kit's mind, she imagining the dark, clouded sky lighting up followed thunder crashing through the air. She imagined gusts of wind whipping the through the very last branches and leaves, ripping some off, till finally the tree split open. And last, the images of distraught mice and squirrels staring desperately at the place they once sheltered under. "I'm going to go thank every tree in the forest once I'm old enough to leave camp!" she declared.

The golden tom's whiskers twitched in amusement as the kits fail to realize the true meaning of the story. He knew that she would figure it out some sunrise. "I'm sure they would all love that." He purred, rasping his tongue over her dappled, pale golden fur.

"Lionwhisker!" a distraught yowl distracted he warrior and kit, both of their heads turning towards the call.

Snowfoot rushed out of the medicine cat's den, a broken look forming in the she-cat's eyes. She bounded up till she was just a fox-length away. "It's Elfkit," she breathed, "She's dead."

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**_~*~*~Life isn't a fairy tale, you don't always have happy endings, but you can make the best of what you do have and accept it for what it is, and just keep living, that's all you can do.~*~*~_**

* * *

A whirlwind of memories swirled within her mind, obscured by fuzziness and odd speeds. Voices echoed. Soft sounds grew louder. Lights became brighter. She seemed to be outside her body, watching as scenes played out in front of her.

"I'm going to catch you the biggest mouse ever, Gingerpaw!" his gentle voice promised.

"No, you'll catch the second biggest mouse ever! I'm catching the biggest and I'll give it to the leader!" the louder, more determined tone of Rosepaw overtook Lionpaw's more passive one.

Gingerpaw rolled onto her back, a purr rumbling deep in her throat. Both gazes trailed to her. "Looks like I'm getting the biggest mouse ever and the second biggest mouse ever!" she commented.

Lionpaw's form flickered, his voice becoming female and his eyes changing from a dark green to a bright green. His golden pelt changed to a swirl of ginger and dark ginger, as if dipped in a pool of water the color of her sister's fur. When Gingernose blinked, the apprentice's den was no longer a den, but a brilliant forest dappled with brown, golden and red leaves.

"Isn't Lionpaw just great?" Rosepaw purred, batting a leaf. "He certainly deserves his warrior name."

Gingerpaw flicked her ear, pouncing on the leaf as he drifted to the ground. "Yeah, he's pretty nice." She agreed, "He said I was a great hunting partner."

Rosepaw's ginger fur startled to bristle, but quickly smoothed back down. She replied in a voice not her own, "Lionwhisker, I welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

"Lionwhisker, Lionwhisker, Lionwhisker!" a chant came from an unknown source, and Gingernose glanced wildly around.

She thought she saw the faces of her clan mates lurking in the shadows, but as she tried to look closer, everything mixed together and a new scene greeted her.

Two cats, one a small cat with ginger fur with rounded features and eyes bright with curiosity, the other a muscular, golden tabby tom with loving green eyes. When she blinked, she was no longer watching for the side, but staring into those eyes filled with admiration and heart. "I love you, Gingernose," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "I love you to StarClan and back."

The words seemed to force themselves from her lungs and out her muzzle in a voice. "I love you more than anything, Lionwhisker." she breathed, heart pounding in her chest. "More than climbing trees or catching prey, or play fighting like I was a kit."

"Then be my..."

Gingernose strained her ears, desperately trying to hear him finish his sentence. Instead, a harsh, "Whatever," filled her ears.

Gingernose was in camp again, this time crouched at the edge of camp, following Rosebreeze as she trotted away with her tail held high in the air. She felt her muzzle moving and air pushing out, but she couldn't hear any voice. Instead, the bustle and hustle of camp was replaced with the chirping of birds and the chattering of squirrels. When she blinked her eyes open, misty trees towered above her. Something prodded at her pelt.

"Wake up, wake up!" a familiar voice demanded. "Please?"

She blinked her eyes open to and odd figure that startled her further awake. Fur bristling, she sprung to her paws. The creature resembled a two-leg, but it was smaller, about the size of a moth. Thin, pale golden wings arched from its back. The creature flitted around and landed on her nose.

"It is nice to see you again," the creature giggled. Its voice was light and bubbly, like a stream. The creature fluttered its wings causing light to glint off of it, shining right into Gingernose's eyes.

"What exactly are you, little moth-thing." Gingernose asked briskly, her tone laced with bewilderment as she attempted to get a better look at it. That task proved to be a challenge since it kept zipping around in the air giddily giggling.

"What am I? Don't you remember?" It paused in midair and stared with such intensity that Gingernose was sure it was burning her fur. "I'm a fairy. You named one of your daughters after me, don't you remember?"

"But you're real? I thought the Fairies, and Elves and Dragons were in my head," Gingernose shrank back with a hiss, "And they were certainly did not look like miniature two-legs."

"Of course not, hee hee! Gingernose, we are in your head right now. The hallucinations have begun. You are trapped." A hint of warning sneaked into the fairy's bubbly voice.

"Well, what must I do to escape this madness?" Gingernose asked, while inside she was thinking that she must be mad to listen to whatever this peculiar creature was saying. "Can you show me the way home?"

The fairy started up her giggling again. "What home? You have no home. The crevices of your mind are home now. If you return everything will be different." She dangled her legs down from one of the foggy branches of a nearby tree.

"How could I explain it to your simple mind?" She snatched a twig of the tree she perched in and snapped it. Soon all of the leaves grew crinkled and brown, slowly crumbling to the ground, and then whole branches began drooping and falling off right in front of Gingernose's eyes. A great wind blew and caused the now tired tree to bend and quake under the force. The tree cracked under pressure and fell to the forest ground with a roar.

The fairy faced the fallen tree, "You are this tree, and these smaller trees are two of your kits. You were hollowed out by the breeze. It was the same breeze that brought you and your kits down, causing a gentle lion to go down with a roar."

The two young trees appeared to be withered and dying, one with only one leaf clinging to its fragile branch. "Is there anything I can do to stop this?" Gingernose gasped, her meow stricken with grief.

The fairy turned around, looking at Gingernose, water droplets in her eyes. "No, there is nothing you can do. What's done is done and no one, not even your beloved StarClan can stop it. There is no going back, Gingernose, only pressing forward and onward. Now I have something urgent to tell you. Lionwhisker is in the Misty Forest just like you, but he's trapped by a dragon, your dragon. You need to kill it to save Lionwhisker."

Gingernose's eyes widened at the mention of her imprisoned mate. Her fur began to bristle again. The news sent her heart beating faster and faster, and she backed away with her eyes squeezed shut. "Where is he?" she demanded, blinking open her eyes.

"Just run; you'll find him. Hee hee!" The winged creature giggled, winking before flutter high into the mist with just her blissful laughter mingling in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

Fairykit gazed upward at the silver moon floating high in silverpelt, bright golden stars showering the darkness around it. She wondered if one of those was Elfkit, gazing down at her through the entangled branches of the nursery's ceiling. A sense of abandonment ached in Fairykit's heart. Why was she in the nursery when Dragonkit and Gingernose slept in the medicine cat's den? It wasn't right.

Blinking, she listened to the soft snores and slow breathing of the queens and kittens around her, each deep in sleep. Silently, she rolled over from off her back and onto her paws, slowly stalking towards the nursery's exit. She poked her tiny nose out, examining the moonlit clearing around her. Besides the cicadas and crickets chirping heir midnight songs, all seemed quiet. Even the guard seemed to have his eyes closed, drowsily listening to the nightlife songs. _Okay_, Fairykit thought, wiggling her tail, _I'll go in three... two..._

Just as she was about to leave the safety of the nursery, two gleaming eyes poked out of thick ferns and brambles that lined the ThunderClan camp. Fairykit shrunk back as the cat glanced around before venturing into the clearing, its dark ginger pelt appearing silvery in the pale light of the moon.

Wide-eyed, the pale golden she-cat stifled a gasp as she recognized the cat as she trotted through the camp. Rosebreese clutched brightly colored pink flowers and red berries in her jaws. Those red berries were familiar even to Fairykit. The ginger cat hastily and silently padded up to the medicine cat's den, her ringed tail lashing back and forth briefly before she ducked inside and disappeared in the shadows.

Fairykit whimpered, backing into the nursery and crawling into her. _No, no. She's just helping Snowfoot gather some herbs. That's it_. she reassured herself, squeezing he eyes shut and wishing to StarClan that she was right.

* * *

**_~*~*~Life isn't a fairy tale, you don't always have happy endings, but you can make the best of what you do have and accept it for what it is, and just keep living, that's all you can do.~*~*~_**

* * *

"Just run; you'll find him." Gingernose repeated in a soft murmur.

Huffing out a breath of air, the she-cat took off in a streak of ginger. She couldn't feel any ground beneath her paws, yet she raced foreword and her movements controlled her speed and direction. She ducked her head down and flattened back her ears. She ran and ran, dashing through the mist and weaving around trees. As Gingernose rushed through a small stream, she expected her fur to grow soggy and wet, but to her surprise every hair on her pelt remained dry.

The cat's willful pace slowed as she angled her head back towards the water, considering backtracking and investigating it._No, I have to save Lionwhisker._ She thought, the words echoing in her mind as if she were in a cave. Shaking her head, she raced onwards.

Something in her heart or mind nagged her to the point it forced her to look to her right, her green gaze flickering in that direction. It shot through the misty skies in a streak of glossy black. Gingernose yowled and dodged to the side as the massive animal slammed into the ground with a deafening roar. It whipped around with its long tail sweeping over the trees like they were twigs. The ground quivered beneath her paws as the creature took a thunderous step forward. It spread its wide wings, blocking the small amount of light that flitted through the misty skies. "Great StarClan," Gingernose gasped, flattening her ears to her head and crouching low to the ground.

She felt frozen under the narrowed yellow eyes of the creature. It looked like a winged lizard, just as the fairy had described. It was just a bit bigger than what she thought.

Flattening the fur on her neck, she struggled to return the dragon's gaze. She stalked right up to below the lizard's massive, scaled paws. "Where's Lionwhisker?" She demanded in a snarl, "Where are you keeping my mate?"

Everything turned into a blur of gray colors. Echoing shrieks and roars danced through her head. When she inhaled, she felt as if she just breathed in all the fog surrounding the Misty Forest. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to regain her senses, and when she opened them, the dragon laid on its side in front of her, blood gashes and wounds scarring its furless pelt. It stretched its wings and attempted to raise its head one last time before giving a pitiful wine. Its wings and head thumped to the cold, hard ground.

Gingernose glared at it and snarled, blood dripping from her teeth and staining the ground below. Rational and clear thoughts entered her mind, the swirling and confusion slowly ebbing away. Her mind was starting to clear up, and so was the mist. The fog thinned out little by little, revealing a shining silver moon and a might sky dappled with brilliant stars. The dark navy blue seemed inviting and warm, hugging the glowing spots in a tender embrace. Small streaks of fiery light jetted across silverpelt for just a heartbeat before they diminished and were replaced by a new one. It looked absolutely stunning. She thought back to what happened to her as she was here and she realized how mad she had become.

She sat down and glanced around the forest. Now winding, dark brown branches owned rich green leaves that danced gracefully in the gently blowing wind. Dew drops rolled off the leaves and to the ground with a plop. Everything moved slower now. She wasn't there one heartbeat and somewhere else another heartbeat. Things remained how they should.

"What in StarClan's name happened here?" a drowsy, gruff voice asked.

Gingernose's head whipped around to see him climbing out from the under the twisted roots of a willow tree, golden tabby fur ruffled and sticking up in odd places. Her heart leapt in her chest. "Lionwhisker!" she cried out.

In a heartbeat she was nuzzling herself in the crook of his neck, listening to his steady purr. She stepped back to look in his deep and understanding green eyes. Lionwhisker slipped his tail around Gingernose's, causing her purr to deepen.

A muffled mewl caused the reunited mates to break their embrace. Another mewl and the two both angled their heads to the body of the dead dragon. Gingernose glared at the dragon in disgust, she wasn't exactly sure how she killed it but she was glad that she did. Perched on top of the dragon was a kit. Her kit. Her little Dragonkit, the one she named after that horrid beast.

"Why in StarClan's name did I name my kits after these dreadful things?" she asked, her mind heavy with other questions she had.

"We're not completely sure, some cats think that you went mad," Lionwhisker said as he nuzzled her cheek.

"And do you agree with them?"

"I do. Why else would you allow me to be your mate and have three beautiful kits with you if you weren't even the least bit crazy," Lionwhisker asked, his eyes reflecting the starlight.

"It is time to go, Gingernose," Dragonkit called. Elfkit stood at his side now. The two kits together seemed to shine as one.

Gingernose hesitated, she knew this was real this time, but she still didn't want to leave, not yet. She backed away and shook her head, only to be stopped by Lionwhisker's tail. "Remember that story I told you when we were apprentices?"

"The one about the tree?"

Lionwhisker nodded.

"Yeah, I had a little reminder this morning from a fairy." Gingernose admitted.

"Well, I never told you the meaning of it, hoping I could tell you when one of us were about to join StarClan, or in StarClan." his bushy tail intertwined with Gingernose's yet again. "You are the tree, Gingernose, even when you are blown away there is still a little bit left behind, like the stump and the log that we can remember you by, and that is all because our roots of love run deep." His eyes were shining brightly, looking at her.

Gingernose's heart ached knowing that the choice was not hers to make. She nuzzled him one last time, allowing his warm fur to press into hers for a while, and then with one last longing look, she turned away and trotted to her kits. Now instead of standing on a dragon, the two stood side-by-side on a large, silvery rock.

"Now that my head is clear, I think it is time to rename you two. Your old names hold no meaning for me anymore," she looked up at the stars, her ginger fur bathed in moonlight. "StarClan, if it is alright with you, I would like to change the names of my these two kittens that are standing in front of me. I would like for Elfkit's new name to be Morningkit and Dragonkit's new name to be Eaglekit." Gingernose looked down at Morningkit and Eaglekit. They gazed up lovingly at their mother.

"Morningkit, Eaglekit, Morningkit, Eaglekit!" Lionwhisker yowled, eyes glinting.

"Now about my other kit, Fairykit. Her name shall be Larkkit, until the day she becomes an apprentice and then a warrior." she almost choked on her own words as the thought of leaving Larkkit behind.

"Larkkit, Larkkit!" Lionwhisker yowled a second time, his own voice growing sorrowful.

The family spent their last heartbeat in the Misty Forest pressing together, Lionwhisker wrapping his tail around the three. "I love you to StarClan and back." he murmured.

In the Misty Forest, watching with teary eyes was the elf and the fairy.

* * *

**_~*~*~Life isn't a fairy tale, you don't always have happy endings, but you can make the best of what you do have and accept it for what it is, and just keep living, that's all you can do.~*~*~_**

* * *

A distressed, ringing yowl split through the quiet night camp. Fairykit gasped and sprang up from her nest, eagerly darting to the nursery exit to see what had happened.

Snowfoot crouched in the middle of camp fur bristling and lips drawn back in a snarl, glaring down at a bundle of fluorescent pink flowers and some vivid red berries. Fairykit realized it looked an awful lot like what Rosebreeze had with her at moonhigh.

Suddenly she was in the air. She squealed and lashed around as a sharp pain shot up her neck. She managed to twist enough around to see a blur of ginger fur and furious green eyes. Rosebreeze had her by her scruff, and was heading away from the camp.

Leaves, branches and thorns grabbed at her as Rosebreese dragged her through the forest, Fairykit desperately attempting to claw at them and get a grip. Rosebreeze's paw bumped into Fairykit a bit, causing the she-cat to lose her balance as she was running, sending the two tumbling from the ground. Before she could move, jaws caught her scruff again. Yowls and shrieks sounded in the forest behind her. Fairykit caught a glimpse of Lionwhisker dashing up. He halted, causing Rosebreeze's fur to bristle.

"Give me my kit Rosebreeze," Lionwhisker meowed in a hushed manner. Fairykit knew that as his serious tone.

After what seemed like a thousand heartbeats, Fairykit hit the ground with a yelp of pain. A paw pressed down on her chest. "What would you give me in return?" Rosebreeze questioned, desperation clear in the she-cat's trembling voice. "What would you pay to get your filthy, fox-hearted kit back?"

Lionwhisker fluffed out his fur so he appeared twice as big as he normally did, and that alone made him massive. "Your freedom, give me my kit and I will allow you to escape with your life." He growled.

"All I wanted was you," Rosebreeze choked out, "but you chose_her_ instead of me."

"Why would I ever be with you after what you have done now?" Lionwhisker snarled. From Fairykit's trapped position on the forest floor, she witness sharp claws sliding out of Lionwhisker's paws. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Because I love you more than she ever did."

"I'm afraid you don't know what love is then, Rosebreeze. Go. Get out of the Clan and stay out. That is all the love I can give you," Lionwhisker hissed.

Rosebreeze screeched and dug her own claws into Fairykit's golden fur ever so slightly before dashing off into the brush. Lionwhisker snarled and chased her, his heavypaw steps echoing in the forest till Fairykit could hear them no more.

Fairykit laid unmoving, eyes fixed on the same leaf for several heartbeats before the rest of the ThunderClan caught up. The cats thundered passed her, all except for Snowfoot and a brown tabby apprentice named Sparrowpaw. "Are you okay, Fair-"

A roaring, shrill sound that Fairykit had never heard before that caused Snowfoot to gasp in the middle of her sentence and pick her up by her scruff, and then begin run. Snowfoot did her best to not trip over Fairykit and still sprint across the forest at top speeds. Fairykit's just allowed herself to go limp.

They stopped at a clearing with black floor unlike anything Fairykit had ever seen. Two cats were pulling a heap of fur out from the middle of it, leaving a trail of scarlet along the ebony ground. Snowfoot placed Fairykit down gently next to Sparrowpaw under the protection of a tree and dashed ahead.

"So, who do you think it is out on the Thunderpath?" Sparrowpaw asked a bit awkwardly.

"Thunderpath?" Fairykit mimicked in a small voice.

"Yeah, that is what we call this black thing," Sparrowpaw informed her, glancing between it and Fairykit.

"Fairykit, come here!" yowled Snowfoot. "But don't get too close to the thunderpath."

Trembling, Sparrowpaw led Fairykit up till only a fox-legnth seperated them from the thunderpath, a small wail escaping from her muzzle when a bloody Lionswhisker gazed up at her with pain-filled green eyes. "Gingernose came to me in a dream last night, and I want to tell you about it." the golden tomcat choked out.

"Did... did you chase Rosebreeze away?" Fairykit asked shakily, thoughts swirling around her head in a whirlwind. She did her best to ignore the angry wound covering most of his flank and his oddly twisted limb.

He gave a slight nod. "Listen, I'm going to StarClan now to be with Dragonkit, Elfkit and Gingernose."

"No, Lionwhisker, you can't go!" Fairykit trembled in anguish; she was losing everybody in less than a moon. "Please... don't go."

Lionwhisker waggled his whiskers at her, "I want to tell you the rest of the story of the stump. Yes the tree did fall, but the roots and stump were still there. The creatures that had once lived in the tree moved on and new creatures came, we came, the elder's den and the tree stump were a part of the same tree, and they are both loved. Fairykit, will you promise to still love us even though we aren't here the same way anymore?"

"The same way?" Fairykit echoed, frightened eyes examining her father.

"We are rooted deep down into your heart. Your heart holds the base of our trees, and StarClan holds the tired old tree part of us. Look for us in the stars and never forget us, always love us. We will be waiting for you in StarClan." Lionwhisker beckoned with his tail to Duskstar.

The injured tom whispered something in his ear, and Duskstar nodded. The leader hopped onto a large silvery boulder wedged in the ground, perching on top and staring down at Fairykit. ThunderClan cats gathered around.

"We have two ceremonies we are going to do today. Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you to take away the name of the cat before you, for it no longer stands for what she is. By my authority and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on Fairykit will be known as Larkkit. This was the wish of Lionwhisker."

The newly named Larkkit gawked at her father her maw agape. When Lionwhisker nodded, Larkkit shut her mouth. "It isn't exactly what I expected, but I am fine with the new name. I'm Larkkit." she meowed in a small voice.

The whole clan mewled in chorus, "Larkkit, Larkkit..."

Duskstar raised his tail. "Before you welcome this newly named kit there is one let change we need to make. Larkkit is six moons old and is ready to become an apprentice. Dawnflower, you have shown yourself to be have a bright and cheerful attitude towards all cats. Help Larkpaw get through her hard times and teach her your skills so that she can be a contributing warrior of our Clan." Larkkit's heart thumped as she realized what was happening.

Larkpaw's green eyes trailed to Dawnflower, who of course looked pleased to do duty for her clan. Again, Larkpaw glanced back to her father who nodded for a second time. She touched noses to her new mentor.

Lionwhisker led in the chorus of her new name, Sparrowpaw was the second, and Snowfoot was the third, and soon the whole Clan joined in. "Larkpaw, Larkpaw, Larkpaw, Larkpaw!"

Lionwhisker gazed steadily at his daughter and whispered, "We are so proud of you Larkpaw," he glanced at Sparrowpaw, "just remember, love roots down deep and it can't be uprooted by anybody, not even you." Lionwhisker stared lovingly into her eyes until he breathed his last breath.

* * *

**_~*~*~Life isn't a fairy tale, you don't always have happy endings, but you can make the best of what you do have and accept it for what it is, and just keep living, that's all you can do.~*~*~_**

* * *

"And that, dear kits, is how I found the meaning of love, and life in its fullness. I had to lose it in order to understand."

"Ah, Larktail, that is just another elders tale you are telling us. How do we know if it really is true?" Spiderkit asked, snorting.

"I think it is true, Spiderkit, you can always find true love anywhere." Wolfkit responded, looking at Spiderkit with such a deep intensity that it made Larktail purr.

Sparrowstripe sauntered into the den, eyes bright with amusement. "Uh, Larktail, I think we're being attacked by kits." Frogkit and Leafkit were mewling giddily as they clung on Sparrowstripe's tail.

"Oh, I was just telling one of my famous elder's tales." Larktail meowed, brushing Frogkit and Leafkit from her mate's tail.

"I'm sure you were, Fairytail," Sparrowstripe purred, intertwining his now free tail in hers.


End file.
